"FREE" Fuel In Lincolnshire

[808 Estate]

Seems the Police are no longer going to prosecute for fuel thefts as the perps "might be having a bad day". Instead they will "offer advice" to petrol stations.

https://www.gbnews.com/news/petrol-thieves-drive-o...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/07/police...

[Gericho]

Its a valid point because it happened to me. I always used a self-serve pump and one day I used a pay-at-kiosk pump but forgot and just drove off.

I use the station regularly and they simply asked me next time I was there if I could pay. No problem and much better than having the police come out for a minor issue.

[119]

I thought you had to stick your payment card in before the pump works?

[Super Sonic]

119 said:

I thought you had to stick your payment card in before the pump works?

Or press the 'pay at kiosk' button.

[Simpo Two]

Gericho said:

Its a valid point because it happened to me. I always used a self-serve pump and one day I used a pay-at-kiosk pump but forgot and just drove off.

I did that on the way to collect my first Aston. Big day. Decided I needed another £10 petrol to make it, but my brains were so busy thinking about the car I completely forgot to pay. Halfway home I suddenly realised and went back. The same bloke was there; he said 'You seemed in a bit of a daze!'

[Drumroll]

808 Estate said:

Seems the Police are no longer going to prosecute for fuel thefts as the perps "might be having a bad day". Instead they will "offer advice" to petrol stations.

https://www.gbnews.com/news/petrol-thieves-drive-o...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/07/police...

Maybe read the whole article not just the clickbait title.

[Crudeoink]

I got a fine for not paying once. I know for sure I entered the store and tapped my phone on the card reader but it must not have gone through. I was with the wife and we'd just picked up a new puppy that was going ballistic in the back of the car so probably miles away.

[e-honda]

I've done it, went inside, bought something other things in the petrol station, paid by card without checking the number and left. A week later i had a letter asking if i had recently sold my vehicle or to contact the garage to make payment.
I thought they made a mistake but i checked my statement and i had made a payment but only for a few £ so clearly they did not charge me for the fuel. No idea if it was my mistake of theirs, luckily this was quite a few years ago before they started slapping you with a civil enforcement fee for sending you an invoice.

[Krikkit]

Drumroll said:

Maybe read the whole article not just the clickbait title.

Don't be silly, if you're reading GBeebies you're only looking at the headline and byline to have a foam about something

[CambsBill]

I do wonder how long it'll be before the UK moves on from the somewhat archaic method we use for buying fuel. In other countries it's either card at the pump or prepay at the desk before fuel is released (USA I'm looking at you). The Costco model is entirely card at pump, plus your membership card, so I assume their theft rate is virtually non-existent. Add in the savings on labour for cashiers and you can see why they can charge 7-10p/l less than the rest of the market.

[Riley Blue]

119 said:

I thought you had to stick your payment card in before the pump works?

I thought that too. Perhaps there are some very old pumps in Lincolnshire.

[SydneyBridge]

I have done if, bought some flowers and completely forget about the petrol. Police came round my house when I was not there, my landlady gave them my mobile no, I was absolutely mortified and paid on my way home. Think it was only a tenner worth...

[EmailAddress]

CambsBill said:

I do wonder how long it'll be before the UK moves on from the somewhat archaic method we use for buying fuel. In other countries it's either card at the pump or prepay at the desk before fuel is released (USA I'm looking at you). The Costco model is entirely card at pump, plus your membership card, so I assume their theft rate is virtually non-existent. Add in the savings on labour for cashiers and you can see why they can charge 7-10p/l less than the rest of the market.

Hopefully not. That would be a PITA.

I want a full tank.

[JQ]

808 Estate said:

Seems the Police are no longer going to prosecute for fuel thefts as the perps "might be having a bad day". Instead they will "offer advice" to petrol stations.

https://www.gbnews.com/news/petrol-thieves-drive-o...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/07/police...

I don't have an issue with that at all - petrol stations could fix the issue overnight by installing pay at the pump to every pump, which has been around since the 1980's. They don't because they want you to enter their overpriced convenience store. I presume the profits from the shop exceed the costs of bilking.

[Red9zero]

I saw someone drive off recently. I was stood there filling up my car when a black X5M pulled up at the next pump. I was looking at it as I thought it looked quite nice, when I noticed the side looked a bit battered, the windscreen was badly smashed and it was the passenger putting the petrol in, while the driver sat in the car with the engine running. As I was walking to the shop to pay the X5M left rather rapidly, so I mentioned it to the cashier and she made a note to check the cctv. I checked the pump when I was walking back to my car and I saw that they had taken over £120 worth of fuel. The same garage has also had people stealing £100`s worth of meat (they are a stockist for a local butcher) just by loading a trolley up and walking out. They have used security guards in the past, which I guess will be reappearing again soon. Although from a previous cctv video of theirs I have seen, the thieves are normally in groups of two or three and really do not care who sees them. One even stopped to wave and smile at the camera on the way out.

[Simpo Two]

Red9zero said:

The same garage has also had people stealing £100`s worth of meat (they are a stockist for a local butcher) just by loading a trolley up and walking out. They have used security guards in the past, which I guess will be reappearing again soon. Although from a previous cctv video of theirs I have seen, the thieves are normally in groups of two or three and really do not care who sees them. One even stopped to wave and smile at the camera on the way out.

Staff in my local supermarket say that shoplifting is rife. They have a regular who walks out with a bottle of vodka quite brazenly; the staff can't do anything and management doesn't seem to care. Might explain why their prices are so high...

[QBee]

Riley Blue said:

119 said:

I thought you had to stick your payment card in before the pump works?

I thought that too. Perhaps there are some very old pumps in Lincolnshire.

My local Adsa petrol station just over the border in Notts has 12 pumps.
4 are pay at pump only, as stated above, the other 8 are pay in kiosk because they want you to buy stuff.

[CambsBill]

EmailAddress said:

CambsBill said:

I do wonder how long it'll be before the UK moves on from the somewhat archaic method we use for buying fuel. In other countries it's either card at the pump or prepay at the desk before fuel is released (USA I'm looking at you). The Costco model is entirely card at pump, plus your membership card, so I assume their theft rate is virtually non-existent. Add in the savings on labour for cashiers and you can see why they can charge 7-10p/l less than the rest of the market.

Hopefully not. That would be a PITA.

I want a full tank.

Who said you can't get a full tank?

[Mr E]

CambsBill said:

Who said you can't get a full tank?

Some of the limits on pay at pump are a little low if you have a big car.

[The Gauge]

Up my way the polce don't investigate drive offs from petrol stations unless the petrol station has written to the registered keeper of the car demanding payment. if no payment received then the police will investigate. This is because it is recognised (by the petrol stations, police and courts) that some people genuinely forget to pay. Sometimes they go in to pay but then browse the shelves and pay for some shopping and forget about the fuel. That could result ton the police and CPS wasting their time when a court will deem it not to be theft as dishonesty has to be proved.

Instead the petrol stations have to apply to the DVLA for the cars registered keeper details, but they charge them for the info, so the petrol stations try not to bother and report to the police hoping they will find the registered keeper for them and chase up payment, kind of using the police as their debt collector.

Obviously it's different if they have a stolen/cloned/false number plate, or are seen filling up via the rear door of the car suggesting they have a container in there, that is clearly theft and the staff should switch off that pump.

Paying at the kiosk would probably eliminate any thefts or accidental drive offs, but they want customers to go into the shop and be tempted to buy stuff, so the problem is partly the petrol stations fault.

Edited by The Gauge on Monday 11th November 13:25